License tag



2 shets-sneet 2 INVENTOR A Irv/ leslz@ I. E, LESLIE LICENSE TAG FiledJan. 18, 1954 vmwmmm Patented Sept. 3,

UNITED STATE y man earl-1.1511* oFFi-CE V1'5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in license tags for vehicle s,especially automobiles,

i and its objects are as follow:-

First, to provide a li cense tag intended to be originally made so as tobe good for a fractional period of time after being initially issued,then revalidated by the attachment of an auxiliary plate for anadditional Second, to group the period.

original legalizin-g indicia in a sunken panel in the main bodyof thelicense tag, this indicialbeing the fori-n of raised characters whichare inten-ded to serve the purpose of grips, `in a manner subsequentlyattached Third, to carry forw of` speaking, aga-inst the auxiliarylicense tag. ard the principle defined above to Ithe extent ofVrr-ial-ing vthe characters, in part .at least, on the main body and theauxiliary license plate interlock, this being accomplished by Areversingthe embossings in the sunken panel and auxiliary license tag .as

later brought out.

Fourth, to provide interdependent tormations .on the main body yof thelicense tag as welll as on the .auxiliary license tag and on the nutand/or the Washer .used 'in congnnction therewith in the making of alock intended to render removal dillicult Fifth, to combine both themain fbody and lauxiliary` license tagv with a frangible part whichbecome .mutilated upon reversely turning the -nut with sufficient force,and thereby .make obvicus the VJfact that .the tag has been tamperedwith.

Sixth, to make the foregoing formation on the Eighth, Yto provide :a

license .tag that cannot be `removed from .the `vehicle withoutmutilating either tag or bolt.

In the drawings'z Figure fl is a front elevation rof the main body :ofthe improved `license tag, lparticular-ly ,illustrating the types ofsecuring `devices intended Lto be used in Vconnection therewith, as

Well as the fsunhen panel with its embossed characters legal-- lizing:the tag for `a fractional period 'from the date of issuance.

tag, particularly illustr auxiliary license tag.

ating `the addition of lthe Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the tag inFigure A2. i

Figure 4 is a rear elevation of an auxiliary tag of the type shown inFigure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail section taken yon the line {5L-l5 oi Figure 1.

Figure is a `cross section taken on the line ii-fof Figure i y Y 'Figure7 is across section taken on the line l--ll of Figure 2.

Figure 8 is a detail sectional view illustrating a modiiication of thebol-tshown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a detail elevation of the bolt in Figure 8.

Figure 10 is an elevationoi the lock washer.

' Figure ll is a cross section taken Von the line vIlm-ISI .of Figurei0.

Figure 'l2 is an `elevation of the lock Washer in Figure 7.'

Figur-e 13 is a .detail section of the same lock washer.` Y

Figure 14 is `,a top plan View of either of the nuts Figure Tl.

Figure '15 is fan inverted plan View of the same nut.

Figure "lo is a cross section of the foregoing nut.

Figure 17 lis -a side elevation of the bolt, par ticularly showing thekey which fits in a slot the license tagV bracket. v

Figure 1i-3 is -an end view -of the bolt showing -how the keyrslighitlyIoverlaps the rim of the head.

One of chief purposes of the invention is to .originally issue a licensetag which will be good tor a .stated period, usually only a fraction ofa year, :and :to fre'validate the tag by the subsequent .addition of:auxiliar-y license tags. This may be `:made :to )go .on for an indenitelength of time so that `the .original tag is virtually an inseparable.ci 'the `vehicle tor `which it was issued. The subsequent-ly issuedlicense tags are not piled :upon eachother as Amight be supposed, vbutare intended to be taken offtoimake room for their suc :cessors therebeing provision, however, for in suring the mutilation of the auxiliarytag when ta'lringit .off so that there -will not be any chance =cf itsvreuseior the .possibilityof its being switched to .any tag during theperiod 4oi its validity.

in .Figure al :the :main body of the license tag is designated l. 'Theface .of the tag is pressed in at 2 to compose 'what has :been termedthe sunk- -r en panel 3,.' In performing .the pressing the panel 2 willbe equipped with cl'iaracters 4, slots 5 and .holes i6 .around whichLopeningsl'in the form of short :slots are ,grouped substantially Yasshown. 4The 4chafnacters 4 .are 'intended to be embossed,

and according to present contemplation they are embossed on the side ofthe panel 3 nearest to the observer, in other words the raised parts arein the pressed in place 2. The purpose of this arrangement is to providea friction grip on the auxiliary license tag later described. But it isalso contemplated that the characters 4 shall be embossed the other way,that is to say, sunken into the panel 3 so that the raised parts appearon back.

In an instance such as this certain characters on the auxiliary licensetag would interlock with the characters 4, and produce the same effectof preventing any free motion of the auxiliary lisense tag with respectto the main body I.

A securing device for the main body I may take either of two forms, eachof which is illustrated in Figure 1 so that the advantage of comparisonmay be had. In the rst form the main body I is struck up from the backas at 8 to form a hollow boss (Fig. 5). This boss has a central hole 9to let the shank I0 cf a bolt I I through, the bolt including a head I2.

The iiat side of the head is made with a key I3 (Figs. 5, 17 and 18).This key ts in a slot I4 in a bracket I5 which is to be regarded asstandard equipment and is the support for the main body I. Theinterengagement of the key with the slot prevents turning of the bolt.The key projects beyond the boundary of the head I 2 as at I6 (Figs. 1'?and 18) so as to increase the extent of the key in the slot and makemore diiiicult the removal of the bolt should anyone attempt to cut ascrewdriver kerf in the head I2 with the idea of unscrewing the boltfrom its nut.

In practice it is intended to make the threads of the shank I 6 as wellas the threads of the complemental nut of some special pitch so as tocompel using the particular bolt and nut in combination. This provisionis intended to take care of a situation in which a person might le 01Tor otherwise remove the head I2 tov a point ilush with the back of thebracket I5, and by doing so become able to slip the shank forwardly andso undue the nut. While this makes it possible to remove the license tagfrom the bracket yet the remounting of a substitute tag is not readilypossible because of the mutilation of the first bolts. It is intended tomake bolts and nuts such as shown available only at authorized sources,for example, the highway department, the whole underlying purpose beingto make it as difcult as possible for unauthorized persons to switchtags.

Going back to the struck-up boss 8, this is provided with a plurality ofcuts I'I (Figs.V 1 and 2) usually radiating from the center of the hole9, but not necessarily so, the material between cuts being displaced orso formed as to produce ratchet teeth. The material and teeth aredesignated I8 in Figures l, 2 and 5. The cuts go completely through themetal, and they extend Well past the base of the boss 8.

Their outer extremities terminate at what would comprise a circular zoneI 9 if said extremities could be connected, and in fact they areconnected by a frangible or deformable section of the metal which caneither be broken out, or at least mutilated upon a reverse pressure onthe nut. In order to make the zone I9 more liable to tearing ordeformation the metal of the main body may be weakened by perforations,indentations or the like.

The nut 20 (Figs. 1, 14, 15 and 16) which is a companion to the bolt IIhas a threaded hole 2I to take the shank I Il. It has a non-circular topvlugs with the parallel slots part 22, intended to receive a wrench ofan appropriate kind for turning. Its bottom part 23 is recessed at 24(Fig. 16) to conform to the general shape of the boss 8. The recess istoothed at 25 to match the teeth I8. Usually there will be as many teethin the recess as on the boss, but one tooth in the recess 24 wouldproduce a lock although not as satisfactory as herein intended.

Thus far it is easy to see that desiring to mount the main body of thetag on the bracket I5, the bolt II is introduced into the slot I4 fromthe rear (Fig. 5), the key I 3 being made to seat in the slot. The shankI0 also goes through the boss 8 whereupon the nut 20 is applied from thefront. As soon as the teeth 25 meet the teeth I8 there will be a ratchetaction which will permit continued turning of the nut for a short timein the clockwise direction (or counter-clockwise should such threads bedesirable) until a final lock is established.

Reverse turning of the nut is not easily possible. Should a person beintent on removing the tag without authority and place a wrench on thenon-circular part 22, an applied force sucient to break down the teethwould be far superior to the strength of the frangible or destructiblezone I9. The latter would either be completely torn out or at leastmutilated to such an extent as to make unauthorized tampering evident toanybody looking at the tag. Naturally if the zone I9 gives way to alimited extent, the unauthorized person will either be induced to stopor should he continue in his attempt he would actually tear out part ofthe tag and so render it virtually useless.

In Figure 1 the cuts II go completely into the central hole 9. In Figure2 they stop short of the hole just a little. The reason for the slightdifference in showing is that in some instances the material of the tagmay be heavy and strong enough to permit cutting all the way through(Fig. 1) while in other instances the gauge of the material may be alittle lighter so as to demand stopping the cuts (Fig. 2) short and soinsuring suicient strength.

.An-other type of securing device involves parallel slots in the mainbody I. There is a large central slot 26 and two smaller slots 2'I, oneon each side of the central slot. The companion bolt and nut assemblageis illustrated in Figure 6. The bolt I I is identical with the bolt inFigure 5 in every respect excepting a little greater length. The nut 20is also identical with the nut in Figure 5 in every respect. The boss 8is substituted by a lock washer 28 (Figs. 10 and l1) which simulates thestruck-up boss in construction and function.

To these ends the washer 28 comprises a disc 29, usually circular,having a central dome 3U formed with teeth 3I by cuts 32 which either goall the way into the hole 33 or not, according to the gauge of themetal. The teeth 3E interengage the teeth of the nut 2G (Fig. 6) andproduce a lock precisely as before.

In order to adequately interlock the washer 28 with the main body I thedisc 29 is provided with two sets of lugs 34, 35. The iirst set 34 isbent backwardly so as to enter the large slot 26. The second set 35 isalso bent backwardly so as to enter the smaller slots 2'I. Thereafterthese lugs are upset at 36 (Fig. 6). Now should an attempt be made toturn the nut 2) reversely, the foregoing interengagement of the two setsof would immediately so twist or mutilate the metal of the main body.month period.

.I las in the former instance. and soA makeit evident that the securingdevice has been tampered 1 `According to the showing in Figure 1. thelicense tag is supposed to be issued `for .a six Those of thecharacters` 4 l denoting the limit of that period areembosseddi rectlyin the license tag4 and form an lintegral part of it as hasbeenbroughtoutalready.'` When that 4period has expired, an auxiliarylicense. tag 31, either of the form in Figure 2 or Figure-.4,.will beinserted in the pressed in place 2` above .the sunken panel 3 so as tohide the. original indicia and show the new indicia which is intended torevalidatethe tag for another period. Thismight bex the remainder of theyear or only a part of the year. This is not so material. `Tabs 38` (oneor more) will be struck out ef the, auxiliary tag at suchplaces as toenter the `slots 5 and permit bending over on back. (Fig. 3).

The main purpose of thetabs and slots is to prevent buckling of theauxiliary tag in the middle.

, Securing means, closely approximating' the two types of securing meansin Figures 1, 5 and 16, is used in so attaching the auxiliary tag 31 as`to make evident a premature attempt at its removal. From this it willbe understood that the main body l comprises the immediate support forthe auxiliary tag. Y

To begin with the auxiliary tag 31 is c-omposed of` thinner materialthanthe main body l` so as ito insure mutiliation of lthe auxiliary tag,with- Aout any corresponding destruction to the `rnain body, when thetime arrives for `unscrewing the nuts for the rem-oval of the auxiliarytag and the replacement of a new one.

The auxiliary tag has a struck-up boss 8P- and a compansionnut2lla,leach.identical`in construction and function with the boss 8 andnut ,2u described-before. Parts alreadyV describedin `connection `withthe boss 8 .and nut 20 (Fig. 5)

'since the lugs 42 occupy are to be c-onsidered-as existing in thecombination at the bottom vof Figure '1. 'Ihebolt39 is on the order of acommon carriage bolt, `the o nly `exception being special threads tomatch those in thenut 20a. i f

The underside of the head bears against l2) which has llugs 42 struckout of it (Fig. 13) to t into the group of short slots 'l (Fig. 1).Thecentral hole 43 (Fig.

`12) matches the hole 6 (Fig. 1).'so that the `shank of the bolt 39 mayg-o i through. from back to front as shown in Figure 7.

Inasmuch as the bolt 39 is a common carriage boit, as stated above ,`itsshank is square in crosssection at the point 44. The holes 5, 43 (Figs.1 and l2) match this square cross section, and the slots 1 the bolt 39is firmly` held against turning under any ordinary circumstance. Shoulda person attempt to unscrew the nut 2lav (Fig` 7) the result will be amutilation of the circular zone around thebase of the teeth of thehollow boss as fully brought out above.

This,1in fact, is Adesirable and intended in this particular instance atleast at onetime in the life of the auxiliary tag 31 The circumstancesmay be such that the original tag is to be revalidated for a periodbeyond the expiration of the auxiliary tag (Fig. 2). `In other words,one might have revalidated the original tag once by attachingV theauxiliary tag 31, and itrnight `be desired to again revalidate theoriginal tag by the application of another auxiliary tag.

In that case the tag shown in Figure 2V must Vthe :teeth of the nut when-attachment of the tag come off'.: By` applying a wrench to each of theLnuts 20'and turning counter-clockwisewith suf- .cient force ,the bosswill either be mutilated and, conceivably, maybe torn out into the shape'of an oversized hole. It is then an easy matter to separate the boltand nut assemblage and to mount afresh auxiliary tag.

in the form of pins, tangs, lugs or the like, for

the purpose of occupying correspondingly shaped cpenings'Mlrin` thesunken panel of the license plate.

. `These openings correspond with the slots or openings 1.(Fig. l), butinstead of receiving the lugs (or equivalents) of a lockwashertheyreceive the projections Vdirect from the bolt itself. Otherwise theprinciple of assemblage and operation is the same as that alreadydescribed. The square part 49 of the bolt 46 occupies thecorrespondingly shaped hole 6, and this together' with the engagement ofthe projections anduopenings keeps the bolt from'turning. The auxiliarylicenseA tag together with its boss and the nut are the same aspreviously described.

Figure 4 is intended largely to substantiate the identity of part of thesecuring device in the auxiliary license tag withthat occurring onithemain body itself. It has been brought out that either of two kinds ofsecuring device can be used for attaching the main body tothe bracketI5. Figure 4 is concerned with the type on the remote ends of the mainbody l (Fig. l) v The struck-up or hollow bossi!a (still using the samecharacter for designating that part in Fig.

4'7)' is illustrated as it .appears when looking from `the reverse sideof the auxiliaryh tag, the tag 31 being reversed in Figure 4. VThe cutsand the resulting teeth are plainly shown, and it only remains to bestated that theseteeth interlock'with the vlatter is screwed ronto thebolt in the clockwise direction.

The only remaining diiference in the auxiliary tag in Figure 4 from theother auxiliary tags is in the characters 4. It may further be statedthat this tag may be varied in colors and that there maybe a variationbetween the color of the tag itself and the characters on it, all forthe purpose of maintaining necessary distinctions in the useof theinvention.

I claimzi A '1. The combination of a support, a license tag, a securingdevice worked in one way to make the to its support, and a deformablesection in the tag subject to mutilation upon working the securingdevice the reverse way, said device including a nut with means capableof producing said mutilation. 2'. The combination of a support, alicense tag having an opening, a bolt occupying the opening and havingmeans by which it is secured with respect to the support, a securingdevice on the bolt and in interlocked engagement with the license tag to`make the attachment ofthe tag to said support, and a deformable sectionin the tag with which the securing device has its interlock, vsaidsection being subject to mutilation upon `working the securing devicewhen once secured.

l 3; The combination of a support, a license tag, `both the tag and thesupport having registering openings, a securing `device including onepart that goes through the openings and a second part that fits on thefirst part, and interlockable means mutually on `the license tag and onsaid second part, said means interlocking when working said second partin one way to make the attachment.

4. 'Ihe combination of a supporta license tag, both the tag and thesupport having registering openings, a. securing device including onepart that goes through the openings and a second part that nts on thefirst part, and interlockable means mutually on the license tag and onsaid'second part, said means interlocking when working said second partin one way to make the attachment, the interlockable means on the taghaving an adjacent frangible zone subject to deformation and beingmutilated upon reverselyworking said second part.

5. The combination of a support, a license tag, said tag .and supporthaving registering openings, a securing device to make. the attachmentof the tag to said support, said device including a bolt having itsshank going through the openings and having means to prevent turningwith respect to the supporta nut screwed on the shank to press againstthe tag, and confronting interlocking means on the tag and'nut making aninterlock when turning the nut in one direction.

6. The combination of a support, a license tag, said tag and supporthaving registering openings, a securing device to make the attachment ofthe tag to said suport, said device including a bolt having its shankgoingthrough the openings and having means to` prevent turning withrespect to the support, a nut screwed on the shank to press againstlthe` tag, and ratchet teeth on the nut and on the y tag making aninterlock when turning the nut in one direction.

7. 'Ihe combination oi a support, a license tag, said tag and supporthaving registering openings, a securing'deviceto make `the attachment ofthe tag to saidv support, said device including a bolt having its shankgoing through the openings and having means to prevent turning withrespect to the support, a nut screwed on the shank to press against thetagratch et teeth on the nut and on the tag making. an interlock whenturning the nut in one direction, and a frangible zone around that partof the interlocking means on the tag subject to mutilation upon anattempt to unscrew the nut. n

8. The combination of a support, a license tag, a struck-up place in thetag forming a hollow boss, said boss and support having registeringopenings and said boss having plural cuts forming teeth, said teethbeing formed to constitute ratchet teeth, a, bolt tted through saidregistering openings and having means making a .non-turning connectionwith the support, and a nut screwed on the bolt, said nut having arecess with at least one tooth to interlock with the ratchet teeth uponturning the nut home.

9. The combination of a support, a license tag, a struck-up place in thetag forming a hollow boss, said boss and support having registeringopenings and said boss having plural cuts forming teeth, said teethbeing formed to constitute ratchet teeth, a bolt tted through saidregistering openings and having means making a non-turning connectionwith the support, a nut screwed on the bolt, said nutl having a recesswith at least one tooth to interlock with the ratchet teeth upon turningthe nut home, and a frangible zone in the tag around the base of theteeth, subject to mutilation upon an attempt to unscrewl the nut.

10. 'Ihe combination of a support, a license tag, said support and .taghaving registering openings, the tag having additional openings at thesides of the first opening,1a bolt having its shank going through theregistering openings and having means to make" a non-turning connectionwith the support, a lock washer against the tag having means to make anon-turning connection with the tag said means including lugs insertedin-the additional openings, said washer having a central dome providedwith ratchet teeth, and a nut screwed home on the shank and having atleast one tooth to interlock with the teeth of the dome.

11. The combination of a support, a license tag comprising a main bodyhaving parallel slots, there being a `large central slot and adjacentsmall slots, securingv means by which to attach the tag to said support,said means comprising the following, a bolt shank going through thecentral slot and having means for making a non-turning connection Vwiththe support, a nut having a recess with at least one tooth, a lockwasher situated between the nut and the tag, said washer having sets oflugs fitted into each of the slots, and an .up-struck central dome inthe lock washer having cuts forming teeth which are formed to makeratchet teeth with which the tooth of the nut interlocks.

12. A license tag having an up-struck part producing a hollow boss,there being cuts through the boss and through the surrounding part ofthe tag to make teeth, the material between cuts being displaced toconstitute ratchet teeth.

13. A license tag having parallel slots, and a lock washer secured tothe tag to form part of securing means for the tag, said washer havinglugs engaging all of the slots, and an up-struck part of the washerhaving cuts, the material between cuts being displaced to form teeth,said teeth having a shape to constitute ratchet teeth.

14. A license tag comprising a main body including original indicia someof the characters of which validate the vtag for a fractional periodfrom the date of issuance, an auxiliary tag to hide said characters andhaving substitute characters for extending the validation for asubsequent period, a securing device by which to attach theauxiliary'tag to the main body, said device comprising an 11p-struckboss on the auxiliary tag having ratchet teeth, a bolt going through themain body and through the boss and having means for making a non-turningconnection with the main body, and a nut screwed on the bolt, said nuthaving at least one tooth to interlock with the teeth of the boss.

15. A license tag comprising a main body including original indicia someof the characters of which validate the tag for a fractional period fromthe date of issuance, said characters being embossed, an auxiliaryA tagto be superimposed on the aforesaid characters vto hide them and torevalidate the license tag for an additional period, the characters onthe auxiliary tag also being embossed so that some of them can interlockwith the characters on the main' body, and a securing device between thetwo tags comprising at least one boli-l going therethrough, a nut on thebolt, and interlocking ratchet means on the bolt and auxiliary tag.

' IRVINE B. LESLIE.

